"It's no secret I love the kid. He needs to have a fresh beginning, a new beginning. This is a very painful moment for me. But we had to do something," Marlins owner Jeffrey Loriatold Rosenthal.

The Dodgers, in particular their new ownership group, are signaling to fans that they're serious about spending money to improve the club. The Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez reports the Dodgers will take on all of the salary owed Ramirez through the 2014 season. Ramirez, 28, is making $15 million this year and is slated to make $15.5 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014.

"The addition of a hitter the caliber of Hanley Ramirez improves our lineup from top to bottom, inserting a proven run producer to go along with Matt (Kemp) and Andre (Ethier)," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a conference call Wednesday, according to MLB.com. "We're excited for Hanley to begin a new chapter in Los Angeles."

Miami was expected to contend for the National League East title after signing free agents Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell in the offseason, but they're 45-52 after a loss Tuesday, 12 1/2 games out of the division lead and eight games out of a wild-card berth.

"We had to do something. The machine was sputtering. It's too good a baseball team and for some reason it didn't seem to be operating on all cylinders from the beginning of the season," Loriatold Rosenthal.

Ramirez gives the Dodgers a needed middle-of-the-order bat and an upgrade for a battered infield. It's not clear whether Ramirez will return to his natural position of shortstop in L.A., but the Dodgers are without their regular shortstop, the injured Dee Gordon.

Ramirez, a three-time NL All-Star and a former batting champion, has been subpar at the plate this season, with a .246 average, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 93 games.

Eovaldi, 22, made 10 starts for the Dodgers this season, going 1-6 with a 4.15 ERA. McGough, a 23-year-old right-hander, was a sixth-round draft pick of L.A. in 2011. He was 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA for high Class A Rancho Cucamonga.

The sidearming Choate, 36, will serve as a situational reliever for the Dodgers. He has pitched 25 1/3 innings over 44 appearances, compiling a 2.49 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

The Marlins still have one big chip to cash in before next Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline. There is high interest in right-hander Josh Johnson, although the Marlins reportedly are not interested in parting with him.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, may not be done dealing. They reportedly are back in the hunt for Chicago Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster. The Dodgers have been reluctant to give up pitching prospect Zach Lee in a deal; Fox reports L.A. may now be able to substitute another pitching prospect, Allen Webster.

Dempster reportedly was headed to the Atlanta Braves on Monday, but no deal was reached. Dempster told USA Today on Tuesday that he's still mulling that trade and that he has a "pretty good idea" of where he wants to go. Dempster has no-trade protection based on service time.